Today I go back to Islay and a taste of something from the Kilchoman Distillery, the Kilchoman Sanaig Islay single malt Scotch whisky.
The Kilchoman Distillery (pronounced Kil-ho-man) is a Scottish distillery on the northwest of Islay. Anthony Wills founded the distillery around 2005, and it remains a ‘farm to bottle’, family-run distillery. It is one of the smallest distilleries on the island.
Kilchoman uses barley grown on-site and malted at the distillery, as well as malt from the Port Ellen maltings and releases separate bottlings depending on the source of the grain. The fermentation time is around 85 hours, which is longer than the average 60-75 hours in the industry.
Also Read: Ardbeg Uigeadail vs An Oa whisky
Kilchoman Sanaig single malt was launched worldwide in 2016 and is named after a rocky inlet northwest of the distillery. It has no age statement. The Sanaig is aged in a combination of ex-oloroso sherry and ex-bourbon barrels (70:30). It is peated to 50ppm and not chill-filtered and with not coloured.
It is part of the Kilchoman core range. Other releases in the range include Kilchoman Machir Bay and Loch Gorm. In South Africa, it retails for around R880 and is (was before Covid) readily available.
Kilchoman Sanaig Islay Single Malt Whisky Review
REGION: Islay
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Light golden wheat
NOSE: Oak, peat and earthy notes. Fresh grass with a fruity sweetness in the background. Bits of tar poled and ash mixed with orange peel and smoke. Soft sweetness with caramel and vanilla and a hint of coffee.
PALATE: Ash and wood with honey sweetness and green, fruity notes. Bits of plums, cherries and toffee mix with peat, smoke and dark chocolate. Rich and bold with water softening the earthy peat notes and bringing more fruit to the fore.
A good balance between peat and sweet notes. Interesting to note that the peat appears to be more Highland peat style with more green notes and no seaweed and iodine medicinal notes.
FINISH: Long and warming with notes of spices, brown sugar and smoke.
RATING: EXCELLENT
Different than the more traditional Islay single malt whiskies, but nevertheless delicious. I loved the interplay between the smoke and peat and the vanilla sweetness. I had tried one other Kilchoman release before this one and did not particularly like it.
So I was not very keen to open this bottle, but John convinced me to give it a go. And I am glad I did. It is a delicious dram that is perfect for winter. It warms you up nicely.
Also read: Port Askaig 8 yo Whisky
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